As The Song Goes
by Quill of Life
Summary: ...I did it my way. "I suppose that it comes down to…" I took a slow breath, "…trust, for lack of a better word." [SI]
1. Chapter 1

"I suppose that it comes down to…" I took a slow breath, "…trust, for lack of a better word." I looked at the man in front of me, he had an almost inquisitive look on his passive face. Again, I wondered if this had truly been the right thing to do, but then again I needed allies, and there weren't many options. "At least in the way that I trust you to be a devious bastard, Shimura-san."

"I see, you trust me to 'screw you over' as the kids say, but what about Hiruzen-san, ah Hokage-sama if you didn't know?" His question was almost valid, he knew the answer, but he still wanted to hear me say it. "Hokage-sama, well he is the reason why I am a social outcast, why my chances of an education is non-existent. At the same time he also treats me as a grandson. Now I can think of a few reasons for this, first is the chance that it is political, to keep me away from _someone_. Second is that he actually expected people to buy the crap and treat me as a hero, this I don't buy, and if it really were the case he should be removed from office posthaste. Third, he is manipulating me, removing all contact with other humans, and inserting himself as the only option for validation, thus from my perspective turning him into a savior, a messiah."

"Yet you came to me, knowing that he might be doing this specifically to keep you from me?" It was wonderful having intelligent discourse after five and half years of pretending to be a child, even if my companion for the evening was megalomaniac, grave robbing, mass murdering, bastard. "And that is why I said, trust. I know your type, they are fairly common in history, so I know how you will react."

"I see, and what can you tell me of this history, is there a lesson I should learn?" I gave a small sigh. "You will fail, and you will cause Konoha to collapse."

"Is that so? How often does it happen?" He was genuinely curious, he actually wanted to know these things, if I had basis for my conclusions. I started doing a mental tally, there were a lot in just in the span of a hundred years. "Muammar Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler, Berlusconi Mussolini, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Slobodan Milosevic. These are just a few, do you wish for me to go on?"

"No need. These people, they were all similar to myself?" I nodded. "Yes, some more than others, but you would all have merry time together."

"So, if you already know this, and I can tell you are in no way impressed by these people, why come to me?" We were back to the trust issue again, the man obviously wanted to interrogate me, but couldn't, so he used the less used interview tactic, asking the same question repeatedly, checking for different responses, in an effort to detect lies. "I need allies, people to help me. I don't care about this world, personally I don't care if I live or die, and I don't give a shit about Konoha, any other place here, or any of the people. Still, it doesn't mean I don't want to enjoy life, while I can, and throwing around bullshit ninja magic sounds fun."

"Hmm… and what would you need me to provide?" He was interested, very much so, apparently the Hokage had tied his hands in regards to me. "I am most certain you know which button to push, to get the population to back off, they piss me off, and it won't be long before I actually start hurting them. Education, reading and writing, history, political, chakra theory, then of course all the physical, theoretical, and chakra related ninja stuff. Food is also important, this body consumes calories at a staggering rate. There will likely be more down the road, but I think graduating with my peers will be best."

"What then would you provide in return?" Yes, bargaining, not that I was good at it, but I knew the basics. "I will be a loyal ninja for Konoha, if I have no reason to leave, then I won't. Genetic material, it is also something I can provide, an option for a new clan if you think it necessary. Finally, I can provide a historical perspective, I assume that historical records isn't something just lying about. 'Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it' is a very true saying, I know of hundreds of these instances."

"I will consider it, Uzumaki-san."

"Anderson."

"An-ter-son?"

"An- _der_ -son. My name, family name, of my last life."

"Yes, I see. Good evening to you Anderson-san."

And with that, the Yami no Shinobi was gone, the man is frightening, but he is also my best bet at a reasonable second life, so having him in my corner would help. I would need protection from the toads, from Akatsuki, and from all the idiot villagers. This was something he could provide, and if the price was fucking a few women and being a sounding board for his machinations, then it was indeed a small price to pay.


	2. Chapter 2

Seventeen days. That was how long it took before I heard back from Danzo. He had probably done his research, tried to find inconsistencies, and what he returned with was better than I hoped. At best I had hoped he would assign one of his drones as a teacher, it would be more than enough, if a little stifling. Still, he knew who the parents of this body were, and thus had just as high hopes for it as I did.

I had already started on my chakra control, in fact, it was the only interesting thing to do while being locked away in the orphanage. I had already mastered surface clinging, muscle enhancement, and water-waking in the tub. Water walking on a river or the ocean wasn't yet an option. I still hadn't made contact with the fox, he was one of my favorite characters early on, but I would have to tread carefully, him being a semi-divine creature and all.

"Anderson-san, my name is Hinoto, and I will be your tutor for the foreseeable future." The young woman in front of me could only be described as beautiful, with blue-black hair, and an oval face. I would put her age as somewhere in the late teens, and her voice was quite pleasant. "A pleasure to meet you, Hinoto-sensei, please, call me Naruto, I need to get used to the name."

"I understand, Naruto-kun." She had a soft smile, and I wondered, if not ROOT wasn't quite as bad as I and other viewers had assumed. Danzo did claim that Sai was a failure, but perhaps it owed more to the total lack of emotion, and not some remnant emotion present. "You are the teacher, so where do we start?"

"An overview of your abilities would be a good place. No need to repeat what you already know." I nodded, this was something I would do as well if I were a teacher. "I have rudimentary access to my chakra, it is self-taught, so I do not know if I have skipped steps, or perhaps have outside help. I can surface-cling and enhance my body at a basic level, I have also successfully water-walked in the tub, out of sight. I know arithmetic at a high enough level, though I have never done advanced calculations in my head, calculators be praised. I have quite a bit of scientific knowledge in regards to physics, though not in biology or chemistry."

"Then one of our first lessons will be to check your chakra, now I know reading and writing is high on the list, and you will also need physical conditioning, we will start there, build up muscle memory. Have you considered a fighting style?" It was nice to have a competent teacher, and one that didn't treat me like an idiot. Though she could be said to be distracting, and I am certain Danzo did that on purpose. "Speed and sword. I have enough historical knowledge, the light cavalry always win, unless they charge right into the position with the heaviest defense."

"Then we will build your body to be the fastest. Sword size?" I had already considered this, and besides puling from history, I also had personal preference. "Longer than a tanto, but still short. I will grow up to be a tall man, given proper nutrition, so the sword should match the final size."

"Hmm… I suppose a wakizashi would be best, their sizes are flexible, maybe around forty centimeters. Now, let us get started on your reading lesson, Naruto-kun." With that Hinoto took charge, and while I had been present for quite a few reading and writing lessons in the orphanage, I still wasn't too familiar with the language. She turned out to be quite the teacher, and the one-on-one instruction in a comfortable environment, made it really easy to learn. I would also have to give props to neuroplasticity, you wouldn't realize it unless you were reborn, but child brains absorb information like a sponge, it is rather amazing, usually it is offset with a child's lack of focus and impulse control, but that wasn't the case here.

The lesson was interrupted as we prepared lunch, and had some small talk, though Hinoto kept it to relevant subjects, giving me some insight into the elemental nations. After the pleasant lunch we to the reading and writing, until dinner. Just as the lunch, the dinner had small talk, and then afterwards, we went over my chakra.

"Now, this will feel odd, but bear with it, I am not a Hyuuga, so I can't exactly see your chakra, and this will also let me help you fine tune your chakra molding." I was sitting on the floor, opposite of Hinoto, while she held my hands. Then I felt it, her chakra invading my system, moving around my body. "Now mold the smallest amount and send it towards your right hand."

I did as instructed, slowly forming my chakra and guiding it towards my right hand. As usual I could tell that I was losing some it, but not how or where. This was the most frustrating thing, I was certain I was doing something wrong, but not what. My frustration was cut off by Hinoto speaking up, "very good, as you suspected you don't have proper control of your chakra, this is usually not an issue as children are helped early on, but in your case, well, you have been doing it wrong for a long time, and reprogramming muscle memory takes time."

"I suspected as much, at least it was caught now, not in ten years." There was a pleased smile on Hinoto face as she nodded. "Correct, now we will do this again, but this time I will do the molding, you just have to relax and feel for it."

It was a very weird feeling having someone else molding my chakra. I could tell I could cut it off at any point, the least amount of resistance on my part would put an end to her molding of my chakra, but it gave me a much better feeling of how I was supposed to do this. We continued this, Hinoto and I taking turns at molding my chakra, for the better part of two hours, at which point I was exhausted.

"This is enough for tonight, Naruto-kun, go brush your teeth and go to bed, then I will see you tomorrow morning at seven." I smiled at her, she really was a good teacher, and pleasant company. "Good night to you too, and thank you for your time Hinoto-sensei. See you tomorrow."

* * *

The next morning I was up shortly before dawn, I had slept well, and was happy. It had been a gamble to go to Danzo, the man was dangerous, but then, I also knew that the potential payoff could be huge; this was why I had wanted him, he had the connections and the resources to help me grow, and as I had hoped hee understood that I was far harder and also far easier to keep loyal. I had nowhere else to go, but then again, I had no reason to stay.

At seven there was a soft knock on the door and as I opened it, I saw Hinoto, along with another woman. The two kunoichi couldn't be more different, where Hinoto was feminine grace, the other was powerful, Hinoto had beautiful long hair, and the woman had short hair. Still, while they were practically diametrical opposites of kunoichi, the one thing they had in common was their beauty.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun. This is my partner Tsuchinoe, she will be in charge of your physical education, and is also a master swordswoman." I gave Hinoto a small smile and a nod, letting them into my apartment. Then I studied Tsuchinoe. She looked strong, her muscles were, not exactly large, but still very defined and obvious, like she could snap Maito Gai in half. She also had a very nice and tight ass and wasn't bothered with showing it off.

At this point Danzo's scheme was obvious, two female teachers, both of them exceedingly beautiful, but at the same time quite different body types. He was testing my preferences, I had promised him a genetic sample, but that didn't mean he wouldn't make it pleasant for me, why waste force when it can obtained freely. Jumping from my musings, I greeted my teachers. "Good morning, Hinoto-sensei, Tsuchinoe-sensei."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Naruto-kun? From what I understand you prefer that term of address rather than Anderson-san." I smiled the woman, while the hormones might not yet be there for me to react to her, the mind certainly was, and I can honestly say her voice was sexy. Smokey, with a hint spice. "Yes, it is imperative that I get used to my new name. So far it has been used very few times, and reacting to it still takes a conscious effort."

"Good to you two getting along, now let's cook breakfast, and you can discuss the training program." There was a hint of amusement in Hinoto's voice, clearly finding my reaction to her partner funny. It wasn't as if I could do anything about it, I find her attractive, and since she is wearing tight clothes, it really shows off her body. Still, I had always been good at not staring too much at women, so it was more amusing than disturbing. Really, a real life Jiraiya spying on women, what a creep.

"So, Naruto-kun, Hinoto-chan tells me you wish to focus on speed and the sword for physical combat, and that you expect to grow quite tall, considering your parents, I will agree with that. For taijutsu I will teach you the style used by our Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, or ANBU, it is a simple form that is battletested and only exists for taking down opponents quickly." I nodded, the ANBU saw the most combat, they would probably also have a separate style that couldn't quite be tracked to Konoha. "That makes sense, but what about the academy, most likely the teachers there will try and enforce a different style, or worse, sabotage me. Then there is how other Konoha ninja will react to my style, they would know it was ANBU?"

"That isn't really an issue, the academy we will deal with at that time, and as for other ninja, the ANBU style won't cause more than a raised eyebrow, the idea that a friendly ANBU made sure the Jinchuriki knew how to throw a punch isn't farfetched." I nodded at Tsuchinoe's words, it made sense and there was no reason to worry about the academy at this point. "Yes, that makes sense."

"Besides, aren't I friendly? I am also an ANBU, so…" It wasn't a lie, I finished in my mind, just a version of the truth. Truly ninja are scary, how the population would react to my training was also an issue, and even though there was still over half a year until my enrolment in the academy, it was still a short time. Too much to do, too little time. "Two things are necessary for the fighting style you want; moving fast, and reacting fast. This is what we will focus on the most, for the rest of the day I will be testing your physical abilities, and then Hinoto-chan and I will make a detailed training plan for you."

It has been years since I last exercised, high school to be specific, which is quite a few decades behind me, I had still done some exercise in this body, but it was mostly the few stretches I could remember, along with walking and jogging. Tsuchinoe however, being an expert, took me through the proper stretching for a body of my age, and then we started running, fast.

I wouldn't exactly call the exercise grueling, as it wouldn't be true, this body was marvelous, on genetics alone I had won the lottery, and add on the _extremely_ fast healing the fox provided, well, the only reason why canon Naruto was such a failure was due to him not working, at all. In fact, the fox provided quite the significant boost, as Hinoto discovered, she had tagged along for the exercise and was a qualified med-nin, where a normal ninja's body needs a full nights rests when training mine needed about three minutes.

Still, there were things missing, I lacked in stamina, while I could recover almost instantly, I simply had no staying power, as it was, I could sprint for maybe five minutes before needing a short rest. Tsuchinoe did confirm that it was exceptional for my age and training level, but not freakish like my recovery, so that was somewhere my body was, normal-ish.

After lunch there were pushups, pullups, sit-ups, and all the other conditioning routines, here though we noticed something, the difference between spending energy and recovering was almost the same. Again, this body is freakish, but the realization made Tsuchinoe giddy, and she looked at me with eyes that reminded me of a very hungry wolf. "Do you know what this means, Naruto-kun?"

"Tsuchinoe-sensei, if you want me to say no and let you explain, then just nod." There was a slight pout on her face as she nodded, and though I already knew what she wanted to say, I'd let her explain, because I'm a gentleman like that. "Even at this rate, you can do pushups near infinitely, but if we start adding extreme external stressors, your body might be able to develop to the point of being, well capable of most ninja things that the rest of us need chakra for."

"I get it, I get it, grueling physical training coming my way, prepare for hell, this is going to hurt, it's fine Tsuchinoe-sensei." I punctuated the sentence with a theatrical sigh, and gave her a smile. She returned my theatrics with some of her, an overblown pout on her face and crestfallen voice. "You do take some of the fun out of it Naruto-kun, by already seeing what's ahead, but I'll make do."

It was great to have some back-and-forth with Tsuchinoe, I couldn't say if she truly liked me, or if I was just an assignment, but hoped that it was former, or at least would be the former in time. Then it was back to more exercises, mainly weight lifting, and again, my body turned out to be a bit on the freakish side. I could lift a lot, like, way more than expected, a lot. Still, all of this was done without enhancing my muscles with chakra, which would push it to a point of stupidity.

By evening, we were back in my apartment, and Hinoto again helped me feel my chakra, to further enhance my control. It was something that was hard to tell, before I felt like I only got maybe a fiftieth of my chakra out of my system, most of it simply vanishing back into my body, but already I could feel improvement. Supposedly, there would always be a loss, but it should be so marginal that only med-nin and top shelf sensors could actually tell.

* * *

The following day I was greeted by a smirking Tsuchinoe, it looked hot, in the vein of Anko smirking, the 'this is so hot but you are going to hate what's coming next' kind of way. I had already started breakfast, it wasn't that hard to make, and my two teachers quickly let themselves inside. I was sure the woman had planned something, and to quote the Nara, _troublesome_.

"Guess what! Guess what…!" Again Tsuchinoe was giddy, it was a bit childish, but a bubbly personality suited her. It wasn't like I couldn't, shadow clones, the way to be at to places at the same time. I wasn't going to say it though, it would raise way too many questions. "You found a way to clone me so you have me as your pet project for the rest of my miserable life?"

"No… oh! Yeah, exactly that! How'd you know?" I sighed. "You are exceptionally giddy, which, if yesterday is any indication, seems to come out when you can train someone without any restraint."

"Well, that is what we will work on today, long term it might also be applied to the academy. So you are getting your first jutsu, way ahead of schedule." I stared at her blankly. "Yippie."

Jutsu's are, as a rule, stupidly hard and super easy to learn. Hand seals, are sort of a mnemonic device, but at the same time they can also force chakra into a specific shape, like a genetic memory. Along with that there is room for personal variation, but each hand seal creates a desired effect in the chakra, but also this response doesn't require hand seals, if you have very good chakra control, and training. Like counting the months on your knuckles, but at the same time having a useable calendar painted on.

Vocalizing is much the same, it creates and fixes the specific image in your mind, and also triggers the jutsu. Still, canon Naruto had learned this jutsu in less than eight hours, I was sure I could do the same, or at least quickly enough.

By late evening, I had figured out that it wasn't the case, while the jutsu was ranked as, stupidly easy on the scale of how hard it is to learn, it had still taken me all day to create the chakra shell necessary to house the clone, and that was just step one, _and_ with Hinoto to guide my chakra.

Still, by the following afternoon I was able to create a shadow clone, with help, but it was more than enough for our purposes right now. Then came the dispelling and memory transfer. Which was just, yuck! No really, how the hell idiot Naruto could stand this in such quantities, oh wait, he hadn't noticed, that's how.

Still, the shadow clone worked as advertised, a corporeal clone, one that will transmit memories back to the creator when dispelled, all types of memories, certainly muscle memory. Though there are certain limitations; if they run out of chakra then the memory is lost, if they do something boring then you get that boredom back, mental fatigue also transfers, and of course the very real risk of brain damage.

There is a reason it is forbidden, besides the prohibitive chakra cost, you get all the memories, even the death. Now for a single clone, once in a blue moon, isn't going to impact a jonin in any meaningful way, but think about like this; you remember stopping that sword swing with your neck, but since you're still here, it must mean it is a viable way to stop a sword swing. Extreme recklessness, that is the curse of the shadow clones, even jonin fall prey to it, see Hatake Kakashi during the wave mission for an example. The tajuu and daibakuha variants lack the memory transfer, thus making them viable for combat.

* * *

Having a constant stream of visitors every day, would have, eventually, attracted unnecessary attention. And again, the shadow clones were the solution. After a few days, I was able to create shadow clones on my own, which would walk about, giving the illusion that I went about town, then I could slip away to a nearby training field, and the clone would head to Hinoto's apartment.

After the day was over, I would head home, and at eight, the clone would dispel, giving me the days lesson. Things continued in this vein for a while, until I had built up the basic muscle conditioning for taijutsu and kenjutsu, then I would spent days a few days Hinoto, building up the basic muscle conditioning for calligraphy. I had added fuinjutsu to things I wanted to learn the moment Hinoto had mentioned it, I had needed an excuse, and there it was.

Along with that, I had spent a day with the Hokage, about every three weeks. There was a reason for this, if he was anything but the kindly grandfather, my complete absence would make him suspicious, and I would over the years wane him off me, so by the time I was in the last year, I would be mostly absent from his life. Unless of course, he started seeking me out, though I doubted it. In the same manner I would spend a few hours with Danzo twice a month, in the evening, where we would talk about history and politics, and really just anything, we would often play shogi or go, and I found that the man himself, once he had managed to curb his megalomaniac tendencies, could be quite pleasant company.

This lasted until about a week before academy started, when Danzo introduced me to one of his newest agents, a young boy a few years older. "Hi, I'm Sai."

"Naruto, a pleasure to meet you, Sai-kun." He really was recognizable, though his skin wasn't quite as pale as expected, and he wasn't his emotionally stunted future self. I'd assume that Danzo had started retraining Sai for his future role soon after meeting me, a role most likely to be a friend in the academy and a visual guide in how to hide my true abilities.

"I see you have already deduced Sai-kun's job, yes he will be inserted in your class, as a social connection with the other students, and help you act as a child. He is also there to help you hide your abilities, and cover for you should you send a kage bunshin." With that, Danzo left us alone, so we could talk and get to know each other, he would be my partner and mentor in all things undercover for the next six years after all.

"So, um, Naruto, how old are you? Danzo-sama only said you were older than you appear." I smiled, it was an expected question from a child, Hinoto and Tsuchinoe just accepted the fact that I was older and left it at that, but a child's curiosity. "Danzo-san could just about be my grandfather, and I could be your father. Does that answer your question?"

"So, about thirty then. Wow, this is weird." That caused me to snort, "You're telling me?"

"I guess living it must be weirder, so let's play a game, I'm decent at shogi, if you know how to play?" I smiled and nodded, this Sai was far more interesting than his older anime counterpart, he still had that childish wonder for the world, while also being a competent ninja. "Sure, I'm not that good, these types of games were never my forte, and I'm still learning the rules and common patterns."

"That's fine, I'm also not that good." The game was an icebreaker, and we talked about hobbies, which to be honest I didn't have, and that was something to fix soon, Sai, as expected drew and painted, we talked about food, favorites, and I promised him that in time I would make some of mine so he could try them. Besides, pizza always wins, Hinoto and Tsuchinoe can attest to that.

After playing a few games, Sai and I had hashed out a rough plan, my stock was still very low in Konoha, and while Danzo had been working his magic to raise it, I would probably not be welcome amongst most of my peers. To this end we decided that Sai and I would take this first meeting as if we had played together before, and thus be acquainted, meaning I would start talking to him after the parents had left, and sit next to him in class. He would also be the one to drag me to some of our more, important, classmates, to make more friends.

Looking over the class roster, which Danzo had easily gotten us, we picked out the targets, Shikamaru and Chouji would be primary, along with Kiba and potentially Shino, finally we would look into adding Ino and possibly Hinata. Secondly, our primary teacher would also be a ROOT operative, to prevent problems of the teacher's bias ruining our plans to make some friends.

Personally I wouldn't bother with Sasuke, nor would Sai. It wasn't that Danzo had said anything specific about the boy, but even when discussing the clan as objectively as possible it was hard not to come to dislike them, their eyes would steal the hard work of others. It wasn't like there weren't likable Uchiha, but even the best intentioned and personable specimen still couldn't help but steal during a spar, it was inevitable.

"It was nice meeting you Sai, see you next week." We had spent a lot longer together than first planned and it was getting late. However, I could say that I had made a friend in the boy, while it would be years before we could be closer friends, as he still lacked a lot of maturity, he was still good company. "You too Naruto, take care on your way home."

* * *

First day of school, even when you've done it a million times before, and is mentally in a place of calm, is still nerve-wracking. It wasn't like I had anything to fear, there would be kids, sure, and I would stay in the background, but still, being surrounded by a bunch of kids, and having to _make friends_ with some of them, was a lot more stressful than I ever remembered it being. Perhaps this was due to the age difference.

I took a seat in the backrow, and waited for the headmaster to start off the acceptance ceremony, it would be a few short speeches, first the Hokage would speak giving us some nugget of wisdom disguising blatant indoctrination, then the headmaster would give his speech, and finally each teacher would introduce themselves, and call out their student leading them to their classes.

On this day there were only six classes starting, or about two-hundred-fifty students.

"…and I present, Hokage-sama, here to give you all a grand welcome to the Konohagakure no Sato Ninja Academy." There was a round of applause, and I dutifully joined in. As expected, the Hokage gave a speech about the will of fire and Konoha's greatness, before leaving the stage for the headmaster's speech, which was about good study habits and working hard, and finally introduction of each teacher as they lined up their students.

I had only been paying attention with half an ear when I heard my name being called, and I quickly went to stand amongst my future classmates. It was surreal, seeing a chibi Sai had been strange, but then the ink wielder had never left much of an impression on me when watching the anime, with the exception of calling Naruto 'dickless', but seeing what would become the 'Rookie 9' in all their glorious chibi-ness, really drove home the point that I was Uzumaki Naruto, future ninja.

As we entered the academy, I looked around for Sai, spotting him slightly further ahead, I slipped up to him tapping his shoulder and grinning. He returned the gesture, and though we remained quiet, it gave the other kids a sense that the two of us knew each other. Once in our classroom, Sai and I grabbed seats in the backrow, and just relaxed.

"Ah, excuse me, would it be an issue if took this seat? Why you ask, because people generally don't feel comfortable near members of my clan…" There was a hint of pain at the end of his voice, and I instantly felt sorry for the bug user. "Not at all, go right ahead, Uzumaki Naruto, and this is Sai."

"Aburame Shino, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Uzumaki-san, Sai-san." I smiled at the boy, he was clearly uncomfortable in a social setting, perhaps a form of autism, either through breeding or random. It didn't matter, his type needed quiet, and not too much stimulation. "You as well, and please feel free to use my first name in manner you see fit and I shall do the same, I am sure that Sai agrees with this as well."

Before Shino could respond, the classroom had filled up, and our teacher was ready to give his address. "Welcome, from today onwards we are class 5, I will be your primary teacher, and you may address me as either Magire-sensei or sensei," the paused to give us a stern look, "if you're feeling adventurous, you can try calling me taicho or hakase, you probably won't like the results, but you would learn something."

The man did have an intellectual air about him, a white shirt under the flak jacket, and a monocle held over his right eye. He also had a nice smile, and it honestly seemed like he enjoyed this posting. "Moving on, in this year, class 5 is the elite track, all of you are destined for greatness, but this comes at a cost, in this case an increased workload, you won't have time to relax, you will need to give your outmost both academically and physically to remain."

"There is no minimum number of students in the elite class, though as you can see thirty is the maximum. If you fall behind you can be dropped from the class, or worse swapped with another student from a different class." I didn't know any of this, but it does make sense, Konoha has a large ninja force, it couldn't possibly run on just nine graduates. Still, nine out of two-hundred-fifty, which is less than a four percent success rate.

Magire-sensei gave some more information, about schedule, and what equipment we were expected to acquire on our own, and what could be bought or borrowed, where the library was, length of each break, all the little things that you would need to know in a new environment. Then he passed out a booklet, which contained the same information, and more, along with a test. Yeah.

Before the even starting on the test, Sai flashed me a sign for plus 80%, extending four fingers except the pinky. It was a really simple code we came up with, each finger indicating 20% on the test, with the thumb indicating up, and the pinky indicating down. Then I turned the test over, and within minutes, I was sure I could answer all questions correctly. Still, I took my time, answering all the easy ones correctly, a few of the very hard incorrectly, and the very hard question was left alone.

After taking the test, we were led outside, where Magire tested our physical conditioning, and Sai again flashed a plus 80%. While a paper test was fairly easy to trick, a physical test wasn't; but I followed Sai keeping just ahead of him, finishing third just ahead of him, and somewhat behind Uchiha Sasuke and Inuzuka Kiba. There were more tests, throwing the thrown weapons test was easy, I just aimed beside the target or used too little strength.

"Shino-san, Sai, would like to join me for lunch?" By lunch time we were back in class, and after Magire-sensei left, I wanted to eat, preferably outside in the sun. Sai gave a nod, allowing Shino to speak up. "Yes, thank you Naruto-san."

Lunch was very quiet, between the three of us there were no talkers, Sai drew in his sketchbook, Shino studied some local ants, and I pulled out a book on fuinjutsu theory. Because damn if this stuff wasn't interesting.

The afternoon lessons was mainly on the history of Konoha, the edited, glorifying, kid-friendly, version of history. Finally before parting us for the day, Magire-sensei handed out the textbooks we would need for the year. "…and class, that's all."

With those words Magire-sensei let us out. He was staying behind, if anyone had questions. "It was nice meeting you Shino-san, hope to have you here tomorrow. Sai, see you."

"You as well, Naruto-san." Shino's polite parting was contrasted by Sai's smirk and slap on my shoulder, I gave a short nod to our teacher, and left the academy behind.

I would be heading to the apartment shared by Hinoto and Tsuchinoe, the two having become friends, and since their posting as my teacher required them to live in the village, close to my apartment, they decided to share. This also made it easier when arranging schedules, just like now. Cutting through the park I came upon something remarkable, which triggered a vague sense of familiarity.

A crying dark-haired girl being surrounded by three bullies, wearing a red coat. Time to play hero, at least I knew enough kenjutsu and taijutsu to take down these three clowns, and I also carried a bokken. Keeping my voice neutral and curious, I approached the bullies. "Hey, what are you three doing?"

"Leave, this doesn't involve you!" Okay, the first clown was a bit rude, but then the second one just happened to open his mouth. "Hey isn't that the kid, the bad one?"

As one, all three turned on me, ready to beat on me, which just caused me to smirk. Just because I was such a benevolent guy, I decided to give them a final warning. "You should head home now."

"Screw you!" The second clown shouted, and he charged fist raised, telegraphing his moving from a mile away. Even worse, he was slow. Like a turtle, but without the cool factor. Reaching to my thigh, I unsheathed the small training kodachi, and proceeded to hit him on the wrist, at least causing a minor hairline fracture. This caused clown one and three to charge at the same time, earning three a kick to knee and one a chakra enhanced hit from my training sword to his left arm.

Yeah, unlike stupid Naruto, I had no desire to receive a beating to prove a point.

"Are you okay?" The girl looked me, and I swear I almost died from cuteness overload, chibi-Hinata was just so damn adorable. "Y-yes I am f-fine."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, wanna be friends?" The girl looked so darn confused. "Ah, Hyuuga Hinata, y-y…"

Whatever else she was planning to say was interrupted by the arrival of her minder, who looked at me with a very rude expression. I honestly felt like kicking him in the nuts, that was how pissed I felt about it. Really, unlike stupid Naruto, there was no way that had a legitimate bad reputation, so his hatred was based solely on the fox, and even worse, as a Hyuuga, he should damn well be able to tell the difference at a fucking glance.

Honestly he was what at most thirteen, and I just gave him most unimpressed stare, the one you kids when they are knowingly being little shits.

Now while a Hyuuga can glare with the best of them, being uncle to a bunch of kids, meant that my unimpressed stare easily trumped his glare, by factor of about eight.

This caused the boy to huff indignantly and drag the young Hyuuga heiress off.

Not quite a kick to 'nads, but I take my victories where I can find them.

Leaving well enough alone, I headed towards my destination.

Thus began the academy arc of my life, and I can honestly say the first year and a half, was utterly boring. For a recap, I had a shadow clone for most of the morning lessons which were classroom based, except Saturday that was entirely PE, and spent that time with either Hinoto or Tsuchinoe, then I'd swap back in for lunch, and eat with Sai and Shino, Hinata quickly joined, and a few weeks later so did Shikamaru and Chouji.

Every day was like this, Sundays were spent hanging out with our little group for a few hours, having lunch at each other's houses, though mostly Chouji's and Shikamaru's. Kid stuff happened, but by far we were the quiet and mellow bunch, and as such, most kid stuff passed us by, that is, until the Uchiha massacre.


End file.
